The Advocate continues to report that the Department of Transportation and Development study was “commissioned by the Legislative Assembly.” My understanding is that the consultant doing the study was selected and paid for by the highway advocacy group known as the Louisiana Coalition to Fix Our Roads. It is an organization of road contractors, road material suppliers and consulting engineers who carry out road projects. Not surprisingly, the study’s results offer little on DOTD reform and plenty of rehash on the need to increase taxpayer dollars for highway projects.

While I completely agree that the highway program is grossly underfunded, how do we solve this problem when the public and the Legislature are unhappy with DOTD’s performance? Much of this discontent is because previous legislatures have failed to do their job of providing the funds needed to meet current and future highway needs. It’s easy to blame bad roads; it is difficult to find a real solution to the problem. Until there is a better relationship between the Legislature and DOTD, it will be difficult to build the trust and understanding necessary to develop a world-class highway system.